System and methods for locating mobile devices using location and presence information

ABSTRACT

A location based service and method configured to provide recovery assistance for a misplaced or stolen mobile device. The location based system and method is configured to locate (recover) high value mobile devices using location, presence and other IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) based telecommunications network assets. The method includes leveraging location dips performed for other services to drive a recovery process for a mobile device to thereby reduce resource overhead on a location platform; locating the mobile device using the location dips performed for other services; and sending a notification to a subscriber of the location of the mobile device for recovery of the mobile device.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to location based services and, inparticular, to a location based system and method that is configured tolocate (recover) high value mobile devices using location, presence andother IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) based telecommunications networkassets.

BACKGROUND

Faced with an increasingly difficult challenge in growing both averagerevenue per user (ARPU) and numbers of subscribers, wireless carriersare trying to develop a host of new products, services, and businessmodels based on data services. One such service is location-basedservices, which provide information specific to a location includingactual locations of a user. It is expected that location based serviceswill generate additional business for the carrier, from both the mobileuser and content providers.

For the mobile user as well as the service provider, location-basedservices offer many opportunities. For example, location-based servicescan increase revenue of the service provider, e.g., network carrier,while improving services to end users, e.g., mobile users. Some examplesof location-based services that can be provided to the mobile userinclude:

-   -   Providing the nearest business or service, such as an ATM or        restaurant;    -   Providing alerts, such as notification of a sale on gas or        warning of a traffic jam;    -   Providing weather reports which are germane to the location        where the user is using the mobile device; and/or    -   Providing advertisements to end users, e.g., recipients, etc.

For the network carrier, location-based services provide value add byenabling services such as:

-   -   Resource tracking with dynamic distribution (e.g., taxis,        service people, rental equipment, doctors, fleet scheduling,        etc.); and    -   Proximity-based notification (push or pull) (e.g., targeted        advertising, buddy list, common profile matching (dating), and        automatic airport check-in).

Currently, wireless companies already have the ability to determine aperson's location through various mechanisms. For example, some wirelessdevices are GPS enabled allowing them to use satellites to determinetheir location. In other cases, cell tower triangulation or single celltower location is used to determine location. For more coarse-graineddepths using a web browser, an IP address lookup table correlates the IPaddress with a specific region. This is useful if a service does notneed to know the exact location of an individual, like a weatherservice.

However, with the advent of mobile devices such as cellular telephones,wireless personal digital assistants (“PDAs”), portable computers, andother mobile or wireless communication devices, it is becomingincreasingly more common for a user to misplace and even lose the mobiledevice. Also, with the increased computing capacity on these electronicassets, it is now possible and even commonplace to have very valuableinformation stored on such devices. For example, mobile telephones canstore business data such as directories of names, addresses andtelephone numbers, customer or client names and contacts, to a host ofother important and proprietary information. In the event that a highvalue device is lost or stolen, in addition to the cost of the device,losses occur due to the loss of such information or the loss of controlover such stored information. Accordingly, being able to rapidly recoverthe misplaced device is of considerable business benefit to thesubscriber.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect of the invention, a computer implemented methodcomprises leveraging location dips performed for other services to drivea recovery process for a mobile device to thereby reduce resourceoverhead on a location platform. The method further comprises locatingthe mobile device using the location dips performed for other services.In addition, the method comprises sending a notification to a subscriberof the location of the mobile device for recovery of the mobile device.

In another aspect of the invention, a computer program product comprisesa computer usable storage medium having readable program code tangiblyembodied in the storage medium. The computer program product is operableto: receive continuous notifications from an agent residing on a mobiledevice; determine a location of the mobile device based on thecontinuous notifications; and send the location to a subscribing user inorder to recover the mobile device.

In another aspect of the invention, a method for providing locationinformation to one or more users comprises providing a computerinfrastructure. The computer infrastructure is operable to: leveragelocation dips performed for other services to drive a recovery processfor a mobile device; locate the mobile device using the location dipsperformed for the other services; determine a routing path requested bya subscribing user to provide a message to the subscribing user on arequested device; and send a notification with the message to thesubscribing user on the determined routing path to inform thesubscribing user on the requested device of the location of the mobiledevice for recovery thereof.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a mobile device comprises anagent configured to provide continuous notifications regarding locationinformation of the device to an infrastructure and configured to takeinto account a battery life of the mobile device when providing thecontinuous notifications such that fewer notifications will be providedper time period for a battery with lower life expectancy than a batterywith higher life expectancy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in the detailed description whichfollows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way ofnon-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative environment for implementing processes inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a high level architecture depicting IMS components whichinterface with a Device Recovery Application Server (A/S) in the IMSnetwork in accordance with aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows components in an agent enabled AGPS chipset based devicethat performs location pushes to a network in accordance with aspects ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4 is a high level block diagram showing location informationconverted to a node in a presence document for implementing processes inaccordance with aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing processes in accordance with aspects ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 6 shows a strategy for a smart agent notification from a devicedriven based on battery capacity left in the device in accordance withaspects of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention generally relates to location based services and, inparticular, to a location based system and method that is configured tolocate (recover) high value mobile devices using location, presence andother IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) based telecommunications networkassets. More specifically, the system and method of the presentinvention uses location based information to locate and recover SIP(Session Initiation Protocol) and non SIP-enabled handsets (devices)using an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) compliant presence server, alocation platform and other service provider network hosted elements.

Advantageously, by implementing the present invention it is possible toleverage location information generically to update a presence documentin the network. Also, as discussed below, significant savings can beobtained using the present invention by not having to frequently querythe location platform in order to locate or recover a device,significantly improving the feasibility of implementation of thisservice as a consumer facing revenue generating service. For example,the present invention ensures that both IMS and non-IMS devices areaccounted for in the recovery process by maintaining track of the state(presence) of the device and using such information to aid in recoveryoperations. More specifically, in embodiments, a SIP A/S (SIPApplication Server) can use pattern matching to determine if the deviceis in a known location at a certain time, e.g., certain time of the day.In other words, the present invention can use behavior that isrepetitive (e.g., such as a person driving along a certain route (orroutes) every day, being at work and at home at predictable intervals,etc.) to drive sensing capabilities of the system and method of thepresent invention. In additional embodiments, the device can providenotifications to the infrastructure, based on predetermined timeperiods, battery life, etc. Accordingly, in embodiments, to optimize theusage of the location platform, highly predictable routes, location/timeperiod matches and notifications can be implemented in order to causeless location fixes being generated on behalf of the subscriber tothereby reduce location platform usage and produce significant savings,while optimizing value derived by the service.

It is also possible to leverage a subscriber driven recovery model,saving significant costs for the carrier infrastructure, which isalready heavily burdened by existing care traffic. This is possible byallowing subscribers to initiate the process of controlling andinitiating recovery services by, for example, providing subscriberinitiated notifications on a continuous basis. Additionally, the presentinvention will not start tracking of location and presence just as aresult of a subscriber calling into the network; instead, the presentinvention continuously leverages existing presence and location trafficto monitor devices, allowing for the actual recovery process to besignificantly increased by using historical information. For example,the present invention can use existing services that require locationinformation from the devices such as, for example, weather servicessubscribed to by the user, in order to track the mobile device. Thisinformation would be received by the system of the present invention forprocessing.

The present invention also supports a 3GPP IMS compliant chargingarchitecture via diameter integration into an IMS compliant CCF. The SIPA/S (SIP Application Server) drives this revenue generating service.Also, it is possible to cover both devices that are not GPS enabled aswell as A-GPS assisted devices that have a valid data services networkconnection. This approach allows client side driven presence documentupdates which also significantly improves operational efficiencies.

Exemplary System Environment and Infrastructure

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present inventionmay be embodied as a system, method or computer program product.Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirelyhardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (includingfirmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodimentcombining software and hardware aspects that may all generally bereferred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore,the present invention may take the form of a computer program productembodied in any tangible medium of expression having computer-usableprogram code embodied in the medium.

Any combination of one or more computer usable or computer readablemedium(s) may be utilized. The computer-usable or computer-readablemedium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic,optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus,device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustivelist) of the computer-readable medium would include the following:

-   -   a portable computer diskette,    -   a hard disk,    -   a random access memory (RAM),    -   a read-only memory (ROM),    -   an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash        memory),    -   a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM),    -   an optical storage device,    -   a transmission media such as those supporting the Internet or an        intranet, and/or    -   a magnetic storage device.        The computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even be        paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is        printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via, for        instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then        compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable        manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

In the context of this document, a computer-usable or computer-readablemedium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate,propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with theinstruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer usableprogram code may be transmitted using any appropriate transmission mediavia a network.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the presentinvention may be written in any combination of one or more programminglanguages, including an object oriented programming language such asJava, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer,partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partlyon the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely onthe remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remotecomputer may be connected to the user's computer through any type ofnetwork. This may include, for example, a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

More specifically, FIG. 1 shows an illustrative environment 10 formanaging the processes in accordance with the invention. To this extent,the environment 10 includes a server 12 that can perform the processesdescribed herein. In particular, the server 12 includes a computingdevice 14. The computing device 14 and/or server 12 can be resident on acarrier network infrastructure or other third party service provider(any of which is generally represented in FIG. 1). In embodiments, theserver 12 is a SIP A/S (Recover SIP Application Server) that drives theservices described herein. By using this computing device 14 and/orserver 12, the network carrier will not have to make any significantinfrastructure investments, as the preexisting infrastructure isutilized with the present invention.

The computing device 14 and/or server 12 includes the computer programcode (program code logic) configured to make computing device 14 and/orserver 12 operable to perform the services described herein. The programcontrol can be one or more computing modules implemented in memory 22A,which is serviced and/or maintained by a service provider such as, forexample, a network carrier. The present invention specifically supportsIMS networks, which is relevant as all the wireless and wired carriersare moving to an IMS based reference architecture in their corenetworks. Also, implementations of the present invention integratesseamlessly into an existing IMS network while providing a mechanism tointegrate with existing sources of content that may not SIP enabled, ascan be implemented by those of skill in the art.

The infrastructure 10 also includes a location platform 60 configured toprovide a mechanism for delivering location information of a device(e.g., subscriber 50) using a location based system. In examples, thelocation information of the device 50 may be obtained by, e.g., A-GPS,GPS or triangulation methodologies, all of which are known to those ofskill in the art such that further explanation is not required hereinfor an understanding of the invention. In embodiments, the locationplatform 60 can provide location information for devices 50 that are notGPS aware to perform both cell sector and precise fixes, whileoptimizing network resource usage. The present invention, e.g., SIP A/S12, can also leverage location dips being performed for the subscriber(e.g., device 50) for other services to drive this location andretrieval service.

In embodiments, the location capabilities can be embedded in the coretelecommunications IMS and non-IMS network, e.g., server 12, tocontinuously track the location of the device 50 and its presence using,for example, a presence server 70. That is, in embodiments, the locationplatform 60 can be a carrier housed location platform, resident on theSIP A/S 12 or other carrier infrastructure as should be understood bythose of ordinary skill in the art.

It is contemplated that the device 50 can be a SIP (Session InitiationProtocol) or non SIP-enabled device using the location platform 60, thepresence server 70, e.g., IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) compliantpresence server, and other service provider network hosted elements asdiscussed herein such as, for example, the SIP A/S 12. In additionalembodiments, the device 50 can include all existing components of aconventional mobile device, while incorporating an agent into the deviceto assist with optimization for both GPS devices as well as non AGPSenabled devices, over IMS and non-IMS networks. The agent may also beused to optimize notification rates provided by the device (and receivedby the SIP A/S) on an ongoing, continuous basis, e.g., a ping rate basedon battery capacity left in the device. For example, the agent on thedevice 50 can trigger a location notification to the subscriber in orderto locate the device. This notification can be optimized based on thebattery level of the device, to maximize battery life. Also, the agentcan be configured to start a specific sequence of recovery actions onbehalf of the subscriber when an incorrect unlock code is entered intothe device a certain number of consecutive times.

In embodiments, the SIP A/S 12 does not require random transmitting ofstate changes and location information from the device 50 (for AGPSdevices) when triggered into “panic” mode, e.g., a mode when the devicehas been misplaced by the user. Instead, in embodiments, the recoveryprocess is not a result of a request from a subscribing user, butinstead, the device can be constantly monitored, e.g., tracked, in orderto optimize efficiency during subsequent recovery. In embodiments, tooptimize efficiency of the system, the monitoring can be accomplished byusing pattern matching based on usage/location and time windows to drivethe recovery process. For example, in embodiments, the SIP A/S 12 canuse pattern matching to determine if the device is in a known locationat a certain time, e.g., certain tile of the day. In other words, theSIP A/S 12 can use repetitive behavior which is stored in a database,e.g., storage system 22B, to drive the sensing capabilities. Inembodiments, the repetitive behavior may be determined by analyzingpreviously obtained location information to determine repetitions ofboth time and location. Alternatively, a user can simply save frequentedlocation and time information in the database, e.g., storage system 22B.Also, as noted above, the device 50 can provide notifications, via anagent, on a periodic or constant basis. Accordingly, in embodiments,highly predictable routes and/or location/time periods can be used tooptimize the usage of the location platform in order to cause lesslocation fixes being generated on behalf of the subscriber. This, inturn, will significantly increase overhead savings.

In embodiments, the presence server 70 maintains track of the status ofthe device 50 (including its location as an attribute of a presencedocument associated with the handset) by, for example:

-   -   Publishing (via a SIP Publish) a status to, e.g., a log, when        the device 50 is turned off (e.g., via an agent on the device        50). For non-IMS devices, an HLR based trigger is used via an        IS-41 SIP bridge. (See, e.g., FIG. 4.)    -   Logging when the device 50 is turned on (SIP Register and SIP        Publish). For non-IMS devices, the same HLR bridge interface        (IS-41) can be used to support publications to the presence        server 70. (See, e.g., FIG. 4.)    -   Logging a data or voice session (SIP Publish), both during        establishment of the session and at the termination of the        session.    -   Periodic geographic positioning of the device (e.g., more        frequent cell sector fixes and less frequent precise fixes). To        optimize location dips carried out for this purpose, the        location information from other service invocations that attempt        to locate the device can be reused. For example, if the        subscriber uses a location enabled weather service to obtain        weather information for the user's location, that location fix        is used to update the presence document with the location        information, using a SIP bridge from the service to the presence        server. (See, e.g., FIG. 4 or FIG. 5.)    -   For advanced A-GPS devices, an agent on the device can update        the presence document using a SIP Publish periodically, after        doing a location fix via standard location determination        semantics. (See, e.g., FIG. 3 or FIG. 5.)    -   Reusing the presence document to store location information,        which is updated anytime a device makes a location request for        any service.

The computing device 14 also includes a processor 20, the memory 22A, anI/O interface 24, and a bus 26. The memory 22A can include local memoryemployed during actual execution of program code, bulk storage, andcache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some programcode in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved frombulk storage during execution. In addition, the computing deviceincludes random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), and aCPU.

The computing device 14 is in communication with the external I/Odevice/resource 28 and the storage system 22B. For example, the I/Odevice 28 can comprise any device that enables an individual to interactwith the computing device 14 or any device that enables the computingdevice 14 to communicate with one or more other computing devices usingany type of communications link. The external I/O device/resource 28 maybe for example, a display of a wireless handheld device or other devicein which the subscriber has requested routing of a notification ormessage.

In general, the processor 20 executes computer program code, which isstored in the memory 22A and/or storage system 22B. While executingcomputer program code, the processor 20 can read and/or write datato/from memory 22A, storage system 22B, and/or I/O interface 24. Theprogram code executes the processes of the invention. The bus 26provides a communications link between each of the components in thecomputing device 14.

The computing device 14 can comprise any general purpose computingarticle of manufacture capable of executing computer program codeinstalled thereon (e.g., a personal computer, server, handheld device,etc.). However, it is understood that the computing device 14 is onlyrepresentative of various possible equivalent-computing devices that mayperform the processes described herein. To this extent, in embodiments,the functionality provided by the computing device 14 can be implementedby a computing article of manufacture that includes any combination ofgeneral and/or specific purpose hardware and/or computer program code.In each embodiment, the program code and hardware can be created usingstandard programming and engineering techniques, respectively.

Similarly, the server 12 is only illustrative of various types ofcomputer infrastructures for implementing the invention. For example, inembodiments, the server 12 comprises two or more computing devices(e.g., a server cluster) that communicate over any type ofcommunications link, such as a network, a shared memory, or the like, toperform the process described herein. Further, while performing theprocesses described herein, one or more computing devices on the server12 can communicate with one or more other computing devices external tothe server 12 using any type of communications link. The communicationslink can comprise any combination of wired and/or wireless links; anycombination of one or more types of networks (e.g., the Internet, a widearea network, a local area network, a virtual private network, etc.);and/or utilize any combination of transmission techniques and protocols.

In embodiments, a charging platform 80 is maintained to provide chargingmodels to charge for services rendered. The charging platform 80 may bemaintained, deployed, created and/or serviced by the service provider.The charging platform 80 is designed to generate a charging record forservices rendered to a subscriber 50 or other users requesting locationinformation to retrieve a misplaced or stolen mobile device. Inembodiments, the service provider can calculate an amount to be charged,based on many different considerations and generate the charging recordto be sent to the charging platform 80. In turn, the charging platform80 can generate an invoice and/or deduct a usage charge from an accountof the subscriber.

In embodiments, the invention provides a business method that performsthe steps of the invention on a subscription, advertising, and/or feebasis. That is, a service provider, such as a Solution Integrator orlocation based service, could offer to perform the processes describedherein. In this case, the service provider can create, maintain, deploy,support, etc., the computer infrastructure that performs the processsteps of the invention for one or more customers. The customers may be,for example, a mobile user or a third party requesting locationinformation. In return, the service provider can receive payment fromthe customer(s) under a subscription and/or fee agreement and/or theservice provider can receive payment from the sale of advertisingcontent to one or more third parties.

Exemplary Architecture

FIG. 2 is a high level architecture for implementing processes inaccordance with the invention. More specifically, FIG. 2 shows IMScomponents that interface with an IMS network 90 in accordance with theinvention. The IMS network 90 includes Call Session Control Functions(CSCF) to provide session control for subscribers accessing serviceswithin the IMS network 90. In essence, the CSCF is a SIP Server with alltraffic coming to the SIP A/S 12 (e.g., device recovery SIP A/S) andpresence server 70 via the Serving Call Session Control Function(S-CSCF) using an ISC/SIP interface.

Also, the IMS network 90 and more specifically the SIP A/S 12 hasresponsibility for interacting with network databases such as the HomeSubscriber Server (HSS) 100, which is a master user database thatsupports the IMS network entities that handle calls. The HSS 100 can bethe storage system 22B of FIG. 1. The HSS 100 contains thesubscription-related information (e.g., user profiles), performsauthentication and authorization of the user, and can provideinformation about the user's physical location. The HSS 100 drivessubscriber profile information, including a user subscription to theservice of the present invention, using the Sh protocol.

In embodiments, offline charging is applied to users who pay for theirservices periodically (e.g., at the end of the month). Online charging,also known as credit-based charging, is used for prepaid services, orreal-time credit control of postpaid services. For offline charging, allSIP network entities (P-CSCF, I-CSCF, S-CSCF, BGCF, MRFC, MGCF, AS)involved in the session use the Diameter Rf interface to send accountinginformation to a Charging Collector Function (CCF) (charging platform)80 located in the same domain. The CCF 80 collects information andbuilds a Call Detail Record (CDR), which is sent to the billing system(BS) of the domain. For online charging, the S-CSCF can talk to aSession Charging Function (SCF) (also represented by reference numeral80).

FIG. 2 further shows a Home Location Register (HLR) 105. The HLR 105 isa central database that contains details of each mobile devicesubscriber that is authorized to use the GSM (Global System for Mobilecommunications) core network. The HLR 105 may be the storage system 22Bof FIG. 1. The HLR 105 stores details of every SIM card issued by thecarrier, which is stored for as long as a subscriber remains with thecarrier. As should be known by those of skill in the art, the HLR 105directly receives and processes MAP transactions and messages fromelements in the GSM network, for example, the Location Update messagesreceived from the device 50. A GM LC/LP component 110 is also providedby the present invention. As should be understood, a GM LC/LP 60 is a GMLC/LP Gateway Mobile Location Center also called the Location Platform.

FIG. 3 shows components in an agent enabled AGPS chipset based handsetthat can perform location pushes to the network in accordance withaspects of the present invention. More specifically, FIG. 3 depicts thecomponents in an agent enabled AGPS chipset based device 50 thatperforms location pushes to the network without relying on thetelecommunications network. In embodiments, the device 50 is a SIPclient to the A/S server 12, significantly leveraging the device'sinherent capabilities while simultaneously reducing the need for networkresources (especially with respect to the location platform). As shouldbe understood, the agent can be configured to provide notifications tothe SIP A/S 12 on a periodic basis to inform the SIP A/S 12 of thedevice location. In embodiments and as discussed with reference to FIGS.5 and 6, for example, the agent can provide notifications on apredetermined basis based on battery capacity in order to optimizeperformance.

FIG. 4 represents a high level block diagram in accordance with aspectsof the present invention. FIG. 4 may also represent a high level flowdiagram to provide processes in accordance with aspects of theinvention. More specifically, FIG. 4 graphically shows how locationinformation (from a location platform 60) is converted to a node in thepresence document, by leveraging a MLP (Meridian Lossless Packing) toSIP bridge 400 and configuring the MLP to SIP bridge 400 as a locationclient and a presence source. Additionally, FIG. 4 shows a SIP bridge405 (HLR bridge interface (IS-41)) used with non-IMS devices to trackterminal status. That is, for non-IMS devices, the HLR bridge interface(IS-41) 405 can be used to support publications to the presence server70. In embodiments, the presence document can be reused to storelocation information, which is updated anytime a device makes a locationrequest for any service. The presence document is provided to the SIPA/S 12 for recovery of the device.

Also, in the present invention, a model is contemplated by which alllocation requests made for other purposes can be repurposed for devicerecovery as well, allowing for significant optimization by reducing theamount of traffic going to the already typically taxed location platformand helping conserve valuable network resources. In embodiments, the A/SSIP 12 periodically performs allocation requests to track the device andupdates the presence document created by the presence sever 70.

FIG. 4 also shows the HSS 100 and the charging platform 80 (e.g., IMSCFF). A device log 410 may also be used in order to: (i) publish (via aSIP Publish) a status to, e.g., the log 410, when the device 50 isturned off. (For non-IMS devices, an HLR based trigger is used via theIS-41 SIP bridge.); (ii) log when the device 50 is turned on (SIPRegister and SIP Publish) and/or (iii) log a data or voice session (SIPPublish), both during establishment of the session and at thetermination of the session.

Exemplary Processes

FIG. 5 illustrates exemplary processes in accordance with the presentinvention. The steps of FIG. 5 may be implemented on the computerinfrastructure of FIG. 1 or the architecture of FIG. 2 or the blockdiagram of FIG. 4, for example. The flow diagrams (swim lane diagrams)in FIG. 5 may be illustrative of the architecture, functionality, andoperation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computerprogram products according to various embodiments of the presentinvention. In this regard, each process may represent a module, segment,or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructionsfor implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also benoted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted inthe block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example,two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. Each block of the flowdiagram, and combinations of the flow diagram illustrations can beimplemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform thespecified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions and/or software, as described above.

Additionally, the invention can take the form of an entirely hardwareembodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment containingboth hardware and software elements. Software includes but is notlimited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc. Furthermore, theinvention can take the form of a computer program product accessiblefrom a computer-usable or computer-readable medium providing programcode for use by or in connection with a computer or any instructionexecution system. The software and/or computer program product can beimplemented in the environment of FIG. 1 or the architecture of FIG. 2or the block diagram of FIG. 4, for example. For the purposes of thisdescription, a computer-usable or computer readable medium can be anyapparatus that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transportthe program for use by or in connection with the instruction executionsystem, apparatus, or device. The medium can be an electronic, magnetic,optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (orapparatus or device) or a propagation medium. Examples of acomputer-readable medium include a semiconductor or solid state memory,magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory(RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk and an opticaldisk. Current examples of optical disks include compact disk—read onlymemory (CD-ROM), compact disk—read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD.

FIG. 5 shows six roles: Device and Subscriber Domain, SIP A/S (RecoveryA/S); Location Platform and Presence Server (SIP A/S); Profile ControlLayer; Messaging Gateway Framework and Subscriber. At step 500, thesubscriber sets preferences (after logging into the system). At step505, the preferences will be processed in the profile control layer and,at step 510, will be stored in the master service profile (e.g., HSS) inthe IMS network. The subscriber can also set up notificationpreferences. These notification preferences can be, for example,requests that notifications be delivered over different channels asrequired. At step 515, location fixes for other services can be used toupdate the presence document for the subscriber along with standardpresence related changes. In embodiments, at step 520, the locationplatform will determine the location of the subscriber, associated withother services. The interactions can be performed by use of a standardbrowser based interface such as, for example, the I/O device 28 of FIG.1.

At steps 525 and 530, the SIP A/S responsible for a subscribed serviceperforms periodic or routine location requests (precise and cell sectordips), respectively, for the subscriber exclusively for the selectedservice. Tie can be performed, for example, if the location platform orthe SIP A/S senses that location information is not being requested forthe subscriber for other purposes. In embodiments, this is done only ifnecessary. Also, additional optimization may be provided by a serviceprovider setting that determines how frequently to rely on the precisefix as opposed to the cell sector dip. At step 535, presence documentsare updated, preferably in the same manner as the periodic or routingrequest updates are treated, even though in the case of the presenceservices, the SIP A/S (recovery A/S) is a standard “watcher” forsubscribers who have subscribed to the recovery service. This iscontrolled to some extent by the pattern matching capabilities of theSIP A/S (recovery A/S), which relies on historical data to matchlocations to time windows for a certain time period, e.g., 24 hourperiod.

At step 540, the SIP A/S (recovery A/S) subscribes to the presenceupdates. At step 545, the device and subscriber domain directs A-GPSdocument updates to the presence documents. At step 550, the device islocated using the SIP A/S (recovery A/S). At step 555, the location ofthe device is provided at the device and subscriber domain. At step 560,the location of the device is routed via a messaging gateway framework(MGF), for example, to the profile control layer. These stepsdemonstrate added processing for A-GPS devices (both SIP and non SIPenabled) that are able to periodically send location information to thelocation platform and presence server which is then aggregated in thepresence server and notified (standard SIP semantics) to the recoveryA/S. These steps may also encompass the processing that occurs when adevice lookup is initiated by the subscriber using a standard interface.

At step 565, a router in the profile control layer routes thenotification to one of several gateways in the messaging gatewayframework. These gateways can be, for example, MMSC (MultimediaMessaging Service) via MM7, Short Message Service Center (SMSC),Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Push (PAP), voice mail engine, IMgateway and Direct Push (SIP). Thus, upon lookup resolution, the profilecontrol layer routes makes a routing determination based on thesubscriber profile as to where to send the notification and the channelto use, via the MGF. As should be understood, the routing of the messagemay be initiated by a notification received from the agent resident onthe device. At step 570, the subscriber receives a notification, e.g.,message, regarding the location of the device. At step 575, thesubscriber recovers the device. At step 580, the SIP A/S (Recovery A/S)generates a charging record via the use of the IMS CCF in the profilecontrol layer.

Exemplary Uses

FIG. 6 shows a strategy for agent notification in accordance withaspects of the invention. As seen from FIG. 6, as an exemplaryillustration, the rate of pings/hour is dependent on battery life of thedevice, e.g., the ping rate is driven based on battery capacity left inthe device. In this way, it is possible to optimize the actualnotifications sent to the network so as to prolong battery life, whilecontinuing to provide value to the service. For example, the agent onthe device can trigger a location notification to the subscriber usingthe data connection on the phone carrier delivery gatewayinfrastructure. The agent optimizes transmission of this informationbased on the battery level of the device, to maximize battery life. Thenotification, for example, can be 1 ping per sixteen hours on lowbattery capacity; whereas, 6 pings per hour may be provided by the agentof the device that has a high battery capacity. In embodiments, theexample of FIG. 6 is based on an assumption that the device is notplugged into its charger outlet. The agent can be configured to start aspecific sequence of recovery actions on behalf of the subscriber whenan incorrect unlock code is entered into the device a certain number ofconsecutive times.

The following are examples implementing the present invention. Theseexamples are only illustrative of many different scenarios and, as such,should not be considered a limiting feature of the present invention. Byway of a first example, subscriber “A” owns a smart phone with criticaldata residing thereon. The subscriber “A” leaves the phone in arestaurant during lunch time. When subscriber “A” returns to work,subscriber “A” realizes that the phone has been misplaced. Due to thefact that subscriber “A” is a subscriber to the device recovery service,which subscriber “A” can access using a standard browser, it is nowpossible to locate the phone. For example, subscriber “A” requestslocation information of the telephone, which is retrieved by the serviceprovider. The location can be based on a pattern matching or actuallocation information retrieved from the location platform. Once thelocation information is retrieved, the subscriber can return to therestaurant to retrieve the phone. The service provider in this casecharges the subscriber “A” only when using the service.

In another example, subscriber “B” misplaces his phone, which upon thepassage of some idle time, locks its screen. The phone is found byanother subscriber, who tries to unlock the phone. After a few failedattempts, the agent on the phone triggers a location notification to thesubscriber using the data connection on the phone carrier deliverygateway infrastructure. The agent optimizes transmission of thisinformation based on the battery level of the device, to maximizebattery life. Subscriber “B” may receive an email or SMS message onanother registered device.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims, if any, are intendedto include any structure, material, or act for performing the functionin combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. While the invention has been described interms of embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that theinvention can be practiced with modifications and in the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer implemented method, comprising:providing a computer infrastructure that is configured to: leveragelocation dips that are invoked by existing presence and location trafficservices on a mobile device for purposes other than for recovery of themobile device, the leveraging comprising repurposing locationinformation received from the location dips by updating presencedocuments on a location platform remote from the mobile device with thelocation information each time the location dips are performed in orderto drive a recovery process for the mobile device, thereby reducingresource overhead on the location platform; locate the mobile deviceusing the location information stored in the presence documents; andsend a notification to a subscriber of the location of the mobile devicefor recovery of the mobile device.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thelocation dips are performed by location capabilities embedded in a coretelecommunications IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and non-IMS network tocontinuously track the location of the mobile device on a periodicbasis.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising reusing presenceinformation to store location information, which is updated anytime themobile device makes the location request.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising using pattern matching based on usage/location of themobile device during predetermined time periods to drive the recoveryprocess and reduce the resource overhead on the location platform. 5.The method of claim 1, further comprising using notifications receivedfrom an agent on the mobile device to determine the location of themobile device.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the agent is configuredto start a specific sequence of recovery actions on behalf of thesubscriber when an incorrect unlock code is entered into the mobiledevice a certain number of times.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein theagent is configured to provide the notifications at predeterminedintervals based on battery life of the mobile device.
 8. The method ofclaim 5, further comprising charging for the notification of thelocation.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer infrastructureis at least one of maintained, deployed, created and supported by aservice provider.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent isconfigured to take into account battery life of the device whenproviding the continuous notifications.
 11. The method of claim 1,wherein the location dips are performed to locate and recover SessionInitiation Protocol (SIP) and non SIP-enabled devices using an IMScompliant presence server.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein a SIPapplication server (SIP A/S) subscribes to presence updates, and themobile device periodically sends location information to the SIP A/S forrecovery.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the location dips areperformed by the mobile device that is not GPS enabled and A-GPS overIMS and non-IMS networks.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein thelocation dips are performed by the mobile device that is not GPS awareto perform both cell sector and precise fixes, while optimizing networkresource usage.
 15. A computer program product comprising a computerusable storage medium device having readable program code tangiblyembodied in the storage medium device, the computer program productbeing operable to: receive continuous notifications from an agentresiding on a mobile device; determine a location of the mobile devicebased on the continuous notifications using pattern matching ofhistorical information and existing location information services, whichare repurposed for device recovery using location information stored inpresence documents, wherein the presence documents are updated on alocation platform remote from the mobile device each time a locationrequest is made by the existing location information services; and senda notification of the location to a subscribing user in order to recoverthe mobile device which is optimized based on battery life of the mobiledevice.
 16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein thecomputer program product is further operable to: leverage location dipsperformed for other services to drive a recovery process for the mobiledevice; and locate the mobile device using the location dips performedfor other services.
 17. The computer program product of claim 16,wherein the computer program product is further operable to send anotification to the subscribing user for recovery of the mobile device.18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computerprogram product is further operable to maintain track of presenceinformation of the mobile device and reuse the presence information tostore location information, which is updated anytime the mobile devicemakes the location request.
 19. The computer program product of claim15, wherein the computer program product is further operable to usepattern matching based on usage/location of the mobile device duringpredetermined time periods to drive the recovery and which is configuredto reduce resource overhead on the location platform.
 20. The computerprogram product of claim 15, wherein the existing location informationservices allow leverage location dips to be performed for the existinglocation information services other than for the device recovery, whichcan be repurposed, in order to drive a recovery process for the mobiledevice and reduce resource overhead on the location platform.
 21. Amethod for providing location information to one or more users,comprising: providing a computer infrastructure being operable to:utilize a carrier location platform to perform both cell sector andprecise fixes; leverage location dips performed for existing presenceand location traffic services for purposes other than for a devicerecovery which can be repurposed in order to drive a recovery processfor a mobile device thereby reducing resource overhead on a locationplatform; locate the mobile device using the location dips performed forother services; determine a routing path requested by a subscribing userto provide a message to the subscribing user on a requested device; andsend a notification with the message to the subscribing user on thedetermined routing path to inform the subscribing user on the requesteddevice of the location of the mobile device for recovery thereof. 22.The method of claim 21, wherein the computer infrastructure is furtheroperable to update and resuse presence information with locationinformation received from the other services.
 23. The method of claim21, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to at leastone of continuously receive location dips and notifications from anagent residing on the mobile device which is configured to send thenotifications at predetermined intervals based on battery life of themobile device.
 24. The method of claim 21, wherein the computerinfrastructure is further operable to receive notifications from anagent residing on the mobile telephone.
 25. The method of claim 21,wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to store profileinformation of the subscribing user in order to route the notificationto the requested device.
 26. The method of claim 21, wherein thecomputer infrastructure is further operable to store presenceinformation which contains location information obtained from the otherservices which are used in the recovery process for the mobile device.27. A method for providing location information to one or more users,comprising: providing a computer infrastructure being operable to:leverage location dips performed for existing presence and locationtraffic services for purposes other than for a device recovery which canbe repurposed in order to drive a recovery process for a mobile devicethereby reducing resource overhead on a location platform; utilize acarrier location platform to perform both cell sector and precise fixes;use pattern matching based on usage/location of the mobile device duringpredetermined time periods to drive the recovery process and reduce theresource overhead on the location platform; locate the mobile deviceusing the location dips performed for other services; determine arouting path requested by a subscribing user to provide a message to thesubscribing user on a requested device; and send a notification with themessage to the subscribing user on the determined routing path to informthe subscribing user on the requested device of the location of themobile device for recovery thereof.
 28. The method of claim 27, whereinthe location dips are performed by location capabilities embedded in acore telecommunications IMS and non-IMS network to continuously trackthe location of the mobile device on a periodic basis.
 29. The method ofclaim 27, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable toreuse presence information to store location information, which isupdated anytime the mobile device makes a location request.
 30. Themethod of claim 27, wherein the computer infrastructure is furtheroperable to use notifications received from an agent on the mobiledevice to determine the location of the mobile device.
 31. The method ofclaim 30, wherein the agent is configured to start a specific sequenceof recovery actions on behalf of the subscribing user when an incorrectunlock code is entered into the mobile device a certain number of times.32. The method of claim 30, wherein the agent is configured to providethe notifications at predetermined intervals based on battery life ofthe mobile device.
 33. The method of claim 27, wherein the computerinfrastructure is further operable to charge for the notification of thelocation.
 34. The method of claim 27, wherein the location dips areperformed to locate and recover SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) andnon SIP-enabled devices using an IMS compliant presence server.
 35. Themethod of claim 27, wherein a SIP application server (SIP A/S)subscribes to presence updates and the mobile device periodically sendslocation information to the SIP A/S for recovery.
 36. The method ofclaim 27, wherein the location dips are performed by the mobile devicethat is not GPS enabled and A-GPS over IMS and non-IMS networks.
 37. Themethod of claim 27, wherein the location dips are performed by themobile device that is not GPS aware to perform both cell sector andprecise fixes, while optimizing network resource usage.